Reverse Sod Swap, The Swap – April 9th/10th 2024

An exchange of turfs between West Wales and East London took place Tuesday April 9th and Wednesday April 10th, 2024

Mike Perry marking out turf circle, West Wales

In 1983, land artist David Nash transplanted a piece of rough North Wales countryside (8 m turf circle) into the lawn of the Serpentine Gallery as part of The British Sculpture show. He was bringing a bit of the rural environment to the city. He took the pristine circle of London grass back to Wales where he continued to mow it for several years. He called it ‘Sod Swap’. A botanist counted 27 species in the Welsh turf and 3 species in the London turf.

In 2024, with David Nash’s support, Perry has transplanted a circle of ‘wilded’ turf from East London into a field in West Wales. The Welsh ‘sheep mown’ turf is now in East London (Springfield Park) where it is being mowed regularly. He’s called it ‘Reverse Sod Swap’. Mike has taken a piece of inner city ‘wildness’ to the countryside and brought a piece of farmed countryside to the inner city. Perry wants to highlight the impacts of enlightened ‘wilding’ of our inner city parks with the degrading impacts of monoculture farming in our National Parks, areas of so called ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’.

Welsh turf circle removed, ready for exchange with London turf.

Mike marking out circle with volunteers, Springfield Park, Hackney, London

Coffee break, half way through cutting out sods, Springfield Park.

Last few Welsh turfs going in at Springfield Park.

Hackney sods on van ready to go to Wales

Onlookers in Wales. Sods from Springfield Park waiting to be bedded in.

Starting at 7.00am Tuesday April 9th, 2024 we cut out 84 turf sods from a ring 8 metres wide. Each sod was 90cms long by 30cms wide, 10cms deep, weighing aprox 30kgs. They were loaded into a van and transported to Springfield Park, East London. We unloaded the van early Wednesday 10th April with the help of volunteer artists, urban gardeners and an ultra running club. By mid- day we had exchanged sods from an identical circle marked out on a patch of meadow opposite Springfield House. The sods were driven back to Wales and were unloaded in the dark by a team of local welsh volunteers. Mike laid the turfs into the Welsh circle at Ffynnonofi Thursday morning with the help of Matt Horgan.

Mike putting London sods into Welsh turf circle

The turfs fitted remarkably well. The last sod was aprox 3 inches too large, which was to be expected given the small gaps between sods. The London turfs already had signs of wild flowers emerging. Hopefully they will grow and bloom in their new environment. I built a fence to keep sheep and Welsh ponies out of the site until the project is over later in the year.

Hackney turf with wildflower being placed into circle in Wales

We’ve tried to make the project as green as possible. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an electric vehicle that could take the weight. We will offset this carbon with the planting of a native hedgerow adjacent to the Welsh circle in Autumn 2024. We made the plastic carriers from a recycled plastic building membrane. The production from my studio in Wales has run 100% on renewable energy.

April 20th 2024. Springfield Park turf bedded in at Ffynnonofi farm, West Wales

The sculptures will hopefully come alive as the grasses and wildflowers grow up during the summer. At Springfield Park, the wilded area opposite the cafe has been left to flourish whilst the welsh circle is mown regularly. In Wales, a circle of Springfield Park flowers and grasses will emerge out of the sheep grazed Welsh field. A botanist will count the species in both circles. Thats the plan anyway !

May 2024. Fenced off Hackney turf circle in Wales.

Update – May to June 2024

National Botanic Gardens of Wales surveying species in Hackney and Welsh turf

May 22nd 2024, Springfield Park, East London

At Springfield Park, East London (above), various wild grasses and flowers have started to come up around the Welsh turf. In Wales the London turf is slowly coming through. Its probably growing slower because of the cooler coastal air and there are signs of rabbits eating the wild flower tips. I might need to some security!

June 1st 2024. Welsh turf circle at Springfield Park, East London

May 27th 2024, Springfield turf at Ffynnonofi, Wales. Slower growth due to cooler coastal air

June 1st, Springfield Park. Wildflowers coming up in the urban soil surrounding the farmed Welsh soil

June 1st, 2024. Springfield Park

June 8th, 2024, Ffynnonofi, Wales. London grasses growing again now we’ve kept rabbits off.

June 22nd 2024, Ffynnonofi, Wales

June 22nd, Corn Cockles (purple flower). Hackney turf in Wales

National Botanic Gardens of Wales counted 39 species in the turf circle that came from East London. In London only 4 species were visible in the mown Welsh turf. We also, however, counted species in a similar patch of welsh turf that had been fenced off from the sheep. The botanists found 22 species here which demonstrates that as long as the soil hasn’t been damaged by pesticides and nitrates, there is plenty of potential for plant life if areas of farmland fenced off from heavy grazing.